From the first day of the lifetokens project, designing the token mailer was the one part of the process we were most excited about tackling. Maybe that was because it wasn’t simply designing a mailer. When someone receives a lifetoken in their mailbox, we assume they know nothing of the product. That means we were designing the whole experience of lifetokens from mailbox to reveal to retrieval.

The mailer also came with it’s own unique set of challenges. We were very conscious of the fact that 95% of mail is junk and bills so it needed to stand out. We knew anytime you deal with the USPS you have to work within their size and weight requirements to avoid extra postage fees. It was extremely important that the tokens arrive safe and sound inside but given our budget for the mailer, it was clear we needed to be creative. We were confident we could make it happen without the need to convert or glue anything, but instead use die cutting, folding and stickers to do the job.

Before we put any emphasis on what would be printed on the mailer, we had to finalize a shape and structure. To do that, we mocked up 3 or 4 designs, inserted blank tokens and sent them around the country. Oddly, some of our very first prototypes are really close to our final mailer.

My brother Marc was extra helpful in giving us feedback on prototype mailers. Several were sent to him in North Carolina and he sent back descriptions and camera phone pictures of the state they arrived in.

We are very happy with the final mailer shape because it meets and exceeds all the goals we had up front. Each mailer folds up to a size of 5.25″ x 4″ and is held closed by a single circular sticker on the back which is appropriately the same size as the tokens themselves. On the inside, the mailers are die-cut to hold each token in place, and a little window is punched out to reveal the unique code on the back of the tokens. Working closely with the invaluable Gary Mordhorst at AccuColor Plus, we were able to get the mailers down to a price that fit the budget perfectly.

Once we had a shape we were confident in, we began designing the actual content of the mailer. We decided to keep the exterior of each mailer fairly simple, using only a single ink and relying on the fact that there was something inside to set it apart from the junk. Having a minimal, conservative design on the outside of the mailer would allow us to really make an impact with the interior.

Inside the mailer is where we really opened up and had some fun. This idea of revealing became the focus of the mailer design and because of the way it folded and unfolded, we treated the experience almost like a storyboard presentation. Frame one, tear the sticker and reveal the lifetokens logo. Lucky you!

Frame two, you learn that this token in chosen specifically for you and not generic junk. You then briefly learn what this lifetokens thing is all about. Below that, your token is presented in place by 3 semicircle die-cuts.

Finally you make the final fold and see your unique code and instructions on how the reveal your personal message and sender.

A motif of ’shine’ or rays was starting to make it’s way into the brand beginning with the “Legend of Zelda” elements of the logo concept and really developing with the flagship ‘Proud of You’ token design. Working the rays into the mailer was a perfect place to utilize a varnish. Amazingly, Gary already had an overstock of a unique mother-of-pearl varnish that looked beautiful when overprinted on our saturated primary color scheme. The mailers are printed on Bright White 80lbs. cover Mohawk SuperFine and we went with a final print job of 6/1 as opposed to Process to assure all of our colors are just right. The two extra plates were more than worth it.

See more beauty shots of the mailer in the image galleries at lifetokens.com.

And a side note, a very special thanks to Andy Schwegler of Letterform for the killer photoshoot. They have been a huge help in telling the story of lifetokens. If it were possible for corporations to marry, SotM would have proposed to them many years ago.